Deer, Butterflies and Village Life.

Well the last week has been rather busy, tiring and stressful for me. By Friday last week I was tired but hearing that I had obtained my IR camera, a farmer friend asked if I was willing to help him discover the numbers of Deer that were on his land. Near part of his farm are a small number of houses, and they have been complaining about the plants in their gardens getting eaten. Initially they blamed the cattle, but as he had to stop dairy farming when Foot and Mouth happened, (that's when I first met him) that clearly was not the cause. Then the owner of the majority of these homes, they are owned as holiday lets, realised that it was deer that were getting into the gardens and nibbling the plants.

However the owner(s) were not willing to put up deer fencing as it would spoil the view and reduce the holiday letting income. Thus the owners of the cottages wanted to have the deer culled. This has been on going for a number of years. The farmer doesn't feel that there is a problem, and when I have looked I cant see what the problem is either, what damage there is is minimal. The reality is that the owner of the holiday lets gets more money by keeping the gardens pristine and he wants them to look picture perfect all the time.

So I was asked to see if I could count the number of deer that are going into the gardens from the farmers land. No matter what is said about farmers in general, there are more that care about the land the wildlife and landscape than don't. Anyway the farmer set up in a copses of trees a hide for me. It was raised of the round so that my scent was not detectable, but once there I was stuck there all night.

Now as anyone will know, it poured with rain last Friday night. And I was in danger of evolving gills. I got the information required and I saw fourteen deer, five Roe and nine fallow. As well as many other animals, including a fox that found shelter under the hide and did not leave until morning when I was released from my wet prison.

Now I must say with all this effort being put into warming the climate, for us to be having all this rain someone is not trying hard enough! I am sure that there is some one that can switch on another appliance or drive around aimlessly in a bigger car so we can get the Mediterranean climate we all seem to be seeking.

Flippancy over, exhausted I went to bed, satisfied that the Farmer now had independent proof that the Deer numbers were no where as high as the Holiday cottage owner was implying. Further, only two of the Deer had gone into the gardens and they were the gardens of the residents who are not worried or complaining about the deer anyway.

When I woke up though, I was feverish and not feeling well at all. So I thought that I would take a few days off, let my body heal its self. And this was going to plan, until on Sunday just as I was getting out of the bath, the phone goes. Now in my own house there are times when I don't bother with clothes, so I was not self concious of my state of undress. I had dried myself and as the call had come on the mobile I was expecting it to be a short one. I was wrong.

Since last year I have been helping a volunteer group put together a proposal for turn some derelict land into some allotments and a wildlife area. I was initially contacted by the group via my old 360 blog as they had gotten a grant to pay a consultant to put together the proposal and grant bids. But through delays they missed out on two important grants they were hoping for. Therefore they asked me to act as a mediator and advisor between them and the consultant.

What I first found looked to be a bit of a mess as the plans drawn up by the consultant were incoherent to say the least. And the vision the community had wanted appeared to have been ignored. So with a series of site visits I got the people involved to work out what they had in terms of species living there, and we worked out what work needed to be done as well as what species could be attracted if certain plants were introduced. The main emphasise being upon attracting butterflies and moths.

Well all this had been worked out and sent off to the consultant by email. The call on Sunday was from one of the women involved in the group. As there was a strike by Local Government Workers on Wednesday and Thursday this week, the meeting that had been planned for the Wednesday had been cancelled However that was not the problem, the consultant had gone off on holiday, and knowing that the Wednesday strike had cancelled the meeting had not submitted the detailed document to the council. The problem was the local authority had offered them a new meeting on Monday or Friday.

So this community group were desperately trying to get a plan, a document together. The problem was some people had information on one computer other information was on another computer, and as no one had the same software it was all becoming a mess.

The problem was exacerbated by the fact that there were holes in the information, little details that mattered. So I spent an hour looking things up in books and on my electronic library all while on the phone. When I had finished, I look up and there are three children trying to peek into my living room. I quickly shut the curtain, I have a voile up as well but I am no exhibitionist either.

The following day, still feeling grotty from getting wet and chilled, I get another call from the community group while they had gone to the local council meeting on the Monday, the council were not happy with the presentation document. So I was being asked if I could re type it and put it into the format that the council needs. Plus I only have three days to do it in.

Realising how important this all was, I agreed to do it. When I saw the document I realised why the council were not willing to accept it. Even though I have dyslexia myself (I don't suffer from it other people suffer from my dyslexia), I could spot many spelling mistakes and the grammar and punctuation made it difficult to read. Now I am now typist so I got all the content emailed to me from the different contributors. Another aspect had been the number of different fonts and sizes used. That way I could edit it and use DTP to make it all look presentable.

With many telephone calls and emails latter I was able to get it looking good, and clarify parts that seemed to contradict each other. I even had to go and get the ink to print the documents out, and yes they will be paying me for that.

Then on Friday they called and told me that the council had accepted their plan and the council will be giving them a lease for the land. So that was a brilliant result. I suggested that they write to complain about the consultant who has let them down so often, something that the officer from the council also said they should think about doing. However, with the land secured they can get cracking with some of the work, as I know they are doing this weekend, While they await their grant applications. But even if that grant money doesn't come through, there is still a lot they can get done. I was just happy that I was able to help guide them along the way.

However, there is a twist to this as when I went to get the inks for the printer, I was stopped in town by a fellow villager and relatively near neighbour. I say relatively near as she doesn't live that close, but had the cheek to complain about my curtains previously and was questioning my movement when she had obviously seen me wandering about at “odd hours” as she put it.

Well she had heard that I had been seen wandering about naked. I told her that if I was seen I was in my own home and remaining very polite I did tell her that it really was none of her business. She then told me that there was a tale going round the village that there was a convicted pervert living in the village. Now I too had heard this and about the time I first moved to the village. I have no way of knowing if its true, but while people need to careful about who their children associate with, there is a nasty atmosphere developing here. One of the aspects of this village that makes it endearing is that it always has had a fair smattering of eccentrics living here. But of late it seems that anyone who doesn't fit into some stereotyped box is seen with suspicion. This suspicion is being generated by a minority who seem to have their own agenda.

This village has suffered from drug problems, alcohol problems and crime for many years. While those problems are still here they are far fewer incidents that was happening even three years ago. Yet when I first moved here I was told that all the problems were from people who moved to the village, from outsiders, but I have lived here long enough to have seen for myself that more of the problems here are as a result of indigenous wrong doers than from outsiders.

I told this woman quite clearly that I was not the convicted pervert, as I have had to undergo “Criminal Records Office” checks I have documents to prove that, and what ever her problem was with me she needed to get over it.

When I told the woman who lives next door, she was shocked that this near neighbour had said anything. As previously the same woman had said I must be Gay as I don't have a girl friend, my ex wife could quickly disprove that one. Further, this woman is apparently telling every one that I am a peeping tom, why else do I always seem to have a camera. Also she is apparently anxious to know who all my visitors are.

Now I know that my lifestyle is not a conventional nine to five one, but I can not understand why this woman has so taken against me. I have done nothing nor said nothing to harm her. But some people seem to just want to be nasty. Well I just have to continue to ignore people like that as I have better things to do with my time.

Beavers in England

Recently I posted an essay on the reintroduction of Beavers into Scotland. While trying to access the data learnt about the impacts upon the environment of this, I learnt that in England for the last two and half years there have been Beavers living here. While they have been fenced in, the sixteen European Beavers from Bavaria, so like our Royal family they are German, have been living happily and without damaging the environment. In fact the improvements the Beavers made to the habitat has provided homes and habitat for thirty other endangered species. This was all unexpected.

Any reintroduction programme always faces opposition from some groups, therefore this test site was used so that we could learn what the impact would be upon the environment and more importantly the biodiversity. Thus on a five hundred and fifty acre fenced in site, the beavers were released.

As beavers will do they adjusted the landscape to provide themselves with the pools and lodges they need to live. The first aspect of their natural behaviour that was noted was by cutting down the trees around the pools on the site, it regenerated the vegetation. Wild flower seeds in the seed bank spontaneously germinated. Some were plants that were thought lost to the site, and this had the additional effect of enabling invertebrates to come in and the population of water voles, a species in serious decline in the UK, started to increase. There were also unexpected benefits for fish as the Beaver lagoons created habitat that allowed fish to breed.

The aspect that really surprised everyone involved was that during flood events, the way that these mammals had managed the watercourse greatly slowed the flow of water helping to lessen the effects of the flooding.

While I dare say there will be people that are still not convinced by the wisdom of reintroducing these animals, all I have seen thus far is a genuine win win situation. I am hoping that I will be able to take up the invitation to go and visit the site myself and get my own view of an English Beaver.

Beavers return to Britain

As my regular readers (two cats and a human) will know, back in Autumn I spoke of a project that planed to reintroduce the European Beaver back into the UK. The greatest difficulty with any project like this is in fact education as people develop prejudice against some species.

With the beaver the prejudice centred upon the damage they would do to fish and to woodlands. As Beavers are vegetarian and eat tree bark they would not damage fish at all. In fact the calm pools the create for their lodges actually benefit most species of fish as they create habitats that enable the fish to breed more successfully.

The other prejudice was, is and will be more difficult to counter, as beavers do fell trees.

However, in the control areas where captive populations have been introduced, the activities of the Beavers has actually mirrored much of the tree felling work that has to be done to preserve riverside habitats anyway. As we live on a crowded island, the competition for space has meant that many of the natural processes have been interrupted. Further because of the loss of species, or exclusion of animals, humans have had to resort to carrying out maintenance work to retain the ecology that was there in the first place.

Therefore, by reintroducing Beavers, the trees that would overwhelm river banks get felled naturally. This will save the conservation organisations, farmers and land owners millions over the coming years as work normally undertaken by volunteers, contractors or workers will occur naturally.

A further benefit that was not expected was the discovery that the root systems of the trees felled by the Beavers worked much better as erosion protection. Because the Beavers are felling the trees younger, that would happen for conservation reasons, the micro root systems of the trees retained the soils of the river bank better. Additionally, the made the rivers less prone to adding to the damage caused by flooding. Partly because these root systems acted as a better sponge, but mainly because of the slower flow rates of the Beavers created habitat meant that in a flood swollen river, the water drained away better down the river channel and was less likely to over spill.

So while some people may still object to this reintroduction, the benefits will be imminence. As the species is being introduced into a landscape that has done without Beavers for several centuries, legal permission was required from the Government. This has now been given by the Scottish Parliament, and the reintroduction programme will occur in Scotland.

All the effort in the study of the possible effects of the Beavers on the environment was important as it was possible that the effect would have been like an invasive species that would have seriously impacted existing species and habitats. However, by ensuring that we knew what the likely impacts were and most of them are beneficial, we can all look forward to a time when Beavers will become a part of the British landscape again.

My thanks to Natural England for the picture by Paul Glendell

And here's a link to the Scottish Wildlife Trust and more information about the reintroduction project.

Breeding Frogs and Displaying Red Kites

While it was not planed that way, it was rather fortunate that my new toy arrived on the first day of spring. So far I have been able to get out each day with the video camera and I have got some interesting footage. However, it will take time before I can post anything here as I still need to get the software and cables to do that. However, getting out each day to explore with the camera is a pleasure.

While the camera is digital, I am learning its limitations and its abilities. On Sunday I went looking for the signs of breeding behaviour in the amphibians, and I found frog spawn. I used the camera to film the spawn and was really pleased that the macro facility really worked and worked well. Playing the footage back, I could see the frog developing inside the egg. I plan to try and return several times and observe the development. I must admit that I am fascinated by these really basic aspects of natural history, whenever I see something I just become a child again. There will be some folks that know me, that will attest to the fact that I have never grown up.

Then on Monday after getting an okay sequence as I was heading for home I spotted a pair of Bullfinches feeding and got some clear footage of them. Tuesday I popped out early, and while I didn't get what I was hoping to see, I had a long clear view of a Jackdaw preening.

But as I had other commitments, I had to head off and do all the boring stuff of life. However, when I got back from a supermarket run, if only the cat would buy her own food I could be saved that job, I still had time to get out for a wander.

Last year I witnessed a pair of the Red Kites trying to build a nest, they failed as it collapsed off the branch. Therefore I have been keeping up an observation to see if it happened again. Therefore I have been looking out for any activity that would indicate the Kites were pairing or nesting.

As the thinning work is going on at the moment in the woods, some paths and tracks are closed to the public. Therefore I have had to take longer circuitous routes to the various locations to observe. While in the thick of the wood I spotted one of the Kites. As I tried to make my way forward I realised that there was not one but three of them and they were circling. Then to my wonder and delight I realised there were four of them.

Had it not been the happy chance of the trees still being without leaf and all three appearing in the patches of open sky at the same time I may not have realised what I was seeing. I was one hundred yards of thick wood away from gaining a clear view but there were three males competing in a courtship flight for a single female. At one point two of the birds, one of the males and the female exchange food in an aerial pass, talon to talon. This is behaviour that I have only read of in books before and never witnessed. What an amazing sceptical, as one bird (the male) has to fly upside down, all be it briefly, to complete this feat in mid air.

I got a short, a few seconds long, of one of the kites though the trees, but after the female chose the male, they flew off before I could escape the thicket. Had it not been for the forest operations going on I would have tried following but the path I would have needed to take went straight to where heavy machinery was felling timber and as excited as I was I did not want to get into the path of a hundred foot spruce coming down.

The excitement of seeing something like that is amazing. It would have been great if I could have filmed it, but that was not to be this time at least. I don't care if people think that I am like a child at moments like this, as these experiences provide me with memories that are priceless.

More on Co-evolution and Interdependence

Just a couple of days ago I was talking about some of the ways that completely different species have a dependence upon the other. While many are obvious such as food and prey, most prey species need the predator to control their numbers; otherwise they outstrip their food supply. That scenario, as witnessed in many species when the predators are reduced or removed, has the effect of reducing the prey species more than would ever be lost via predation. That is because while some will die from starvation, the greater effect is reduced breeding rates and increased infant mortality. Thus the importance of a full range of species within any habitat is now well understood.

However, currant research is still illuminating some very interesting and subtle examples of interdependence. I still can’t get the image out of my head of scientists sniffing ants. See the previous post on this subject.

However, research is highlighting many surprising examples of the symbiosis of different species and the importance of large animals. As I have mentioned before, in Yellowstone National Park, they discovered that having a healthy and sizable population of Wolfs changed the behaviour of the Elk. By adjusting the way the Elk feed, by keeping them out in the open and away from the Forest and trees, willow and aspen regenerated. This in turn provided food and shelter for beavers, who by creating their pools and this in turn helped the dippers, amphibians and reptiles. The web of benefits extends out to include about one hundred species where a direct link can be shown to the reintroduction to the wolf more than a decade previously.

Research just published in Science Magazine, that journal for the AAAS, carried out by Florida University, has made some remarkable discoveries about the importance of the need for the large herbivores in protecting the acacia trees in the African Savannah.

While this may appear counter intuitive, the acacia trees need the large herbivores like Giraffes, Elephants and Antelope to nibble the trees to remain healthy. As what happens is when the trees are grazed the tree reacts by producing a sweet sap. This may in part be to help heal the wounds, but the important part is this sap attracts ants, specifically, the biting ant Crematogaster who act as body guards for the trees. When the herbivores come back to the Acacias, the ants fight off the grazers; this prevents the tree from being damaged beyond loosing some growth.

The researchers from Stamford University and Florida University isolated the trees, mimicking the loss of (extinctions) the herbivores by fencing the trees off. The effect was not what anyone expected to see as instead of the trees thriving the in fact suffered and became less vibrant and grew more stunted than the ones that were grazed. Part of the effect was that the tree by getting nibbled stimulated extra growth. But the process was more complex than that. Once grazing did not injure the trees they stopped producing the sap that attracted the ants. The loss of the ants allowed other insects to invade and bore into the trees weakening the trees. Therefore the trees needed to large mammals to browse them, to gain the protective alliance of the ants.

It shows that even in the natural world we all need friends.




Photo © Westend61/Alamy

Co-evolution and interdependence

While reading an article in the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS, on the co-evolution of Ants and Large Blue Butterflies, I had this mental image come into my mind. As the article was about the pheromones that both critters produce, I had this picture in my mind of the scientists going around sniffing Ants and Caterpillars. I wish I could draw as I would have drawn a cartoon of it.

However this posting is not about my warped state of mind, but the importance of understanding the co-dependence of species within a habitat. Further, as I have just been talking to someone via email about this in relation to the conservation potential within the habitats of my local area, I thought it apposite.

While most people will know of the food chain, we probably all did that at school. But the way that its taught is misleading as its better to think of the interactions more like a web rather than a chain.

Locally we have Green Woodpeckers in the wood, they are even breeding, as a very rare bird that’s great news. The only reason that they are here and able to breed is because we also have Wood Ants. During the breeding Season the woodpeckers rely on the ants lave for food. Thus if there were no ants there would be no Woodpeckers, further, the ants need to have trees like Larch and Pine so they can utilise the needles to build its formicary. That obviously is an example of an interdependence chain. Yet when you start adding species like the fungi that need pine or larch and the mammals that feed on the fungi and each of these chains start to spread out to form a multi-layered web not of feeding but of interdependence.

When the objective is just observation, one of the best ways of making an initial assessment of the health of an ecosystem is by looking at or for the top predators in that habitat. Often this will be the birds of pray, as in the UK we do not have any of the top mammal predators here. But as I have previously written about, in Yellowstone National Park in the US, the health of the whole of the reserve is dependent upon the wolf packs. However, it is not as simple as just introducing native predators to a habitat, to ensure the health and biodiversity in any environ, you have to start at the bottom.

This is why in the UK we have to manage lands carefully to conserve what we already have and to provide the conditions needed to enable any expansion of species. Taking my local wood as an example it has a fairly rich mosaic of habitats, in spite of it being a plantation wood; there are enough broad leaf trees in the mix to have kept much of the wildlife there. However, while there are plenty of species their, there are gaps where via previous neglect and poor management, important species have disappeared. Even in my short time here I have witnessed the loss of the Red Squirrel from Chopwell Wood.

Having scoured the wood for the last three months, I can find no sign at all of them.

Yet with careful thought, planning and execution our local woods could become the real haven for wildlife it needs to be. We are lucky as in and around the wood we have about ten percent of the species that our government has recognised as needing special protection, with careful habitat creation and management we could expand that to nearly twenty percent. As the list contains over one thousand species, that would make our local woodland an impressive haven for wildlife.

There are parts of the wood that are very boggy, this aspect of the mixtures of habitats means that we already have plants like the Marsh Orchid growing in profusion. Yet by careful interventions we could provide sites for many other rare orchids. This could then attract some of the endangered bees and other invertebrates too.

The key is understanding the interdependence of the whole of the ecology and not carrying out work in isolation. Especially if it involves sniffing ants!


The Picture is of the Common Spotted Orchid Dactylorhiza fushsii (Try saying that after a few pints)

Beaver Reintroductions in the UK

Back in the autumn I talked about the possibility of Beavers being reintroduced into the British ecosystem. This triggered by the BBC showing images of beavers on the Autumn watch programme. Following that I started looking at the effects of reintroductions.

It is important to distinguish between introductions, a species that is not native but is introduced either deliberately or accidentally, and generally damages the environment and eco systems. Where as a reintroduction is a species that used to be a part of the ecology but has disappeared for some reason, and is reintroduced to rebalance habitat. Locally red Kites were reintroduced as an example, and are thriving. As I write, I can see a Red Kite to the north of my Village out of my window. The impact of them back in the environment is having a real benefit. As they are predominantly carrion feeders, the Kites are removing items that previously had been attracting rats and it seems that having the kites is helping to reduce the numbers of these vermin.

Therefore, reintroductions do create a positive impact for the environment. In the case of the Red Kite it has been an unexpected reduction in the numbers of rats, as well as providing a boost to the economy via tourism. For example there is one particular pub where it’s possible to sit in the beer garden and watch these magnificent birds.

However, it is the benefits to the eco system that is most amazing. In Yellowstone National Park in America, the reintroduction of the wolf aided the habitat, and in surprising ways. One of the effects was that Aspen trees and the willows started to regenerate. This was because the wolf is the top predator and the numbers were sufficient to affect the behaviour of the Elk who were browsing on the shoots of the trees. By the wolfs being their the Elk were keeping to the open and the hills where they could observe the wolfs. That was stopping the Elk from constantly nibbling off the shoots from the trees thus allowing the trees to regenerate. Further, this benefits animals like Beavers who rely on the willow for food. Additionally, the extra ground is benefiting a whole range of other species too.

It has always been known that the presence of top predators is a good indicator of a healthy habitat. But what is a new discovery here is that just how important they are to the health of the whole chain of life in a biosphere.

With the plan to reintroduce Beavers in Scotland there will be great benefits too. At the moment conservation organisations have to invest a lot of time and money in coppicing trees at the waters edge, this the beavers will do naturally for food and to build their homes. Further, in places like Germany where they have already been reintroduced the Beavers have seriously knocked back invasive species like Himalayan Balsam that is choking out native species of plant life. Therefore, I cannot see any disadvantages to this reintroduction programme.

In addition to this reintroduction, I also understand that on another Scottish Estate a breeding pair of Elk have been reintroduced as part of a long term plan that could see another colony of Beavers reintroduced along with Wolf and Lynx. While I personally feel that this would benefit the environment, I can see objections to this and careful preparation work would need to be done, especially education. So I watch and wait.

A Sea of Wind Turbines

On Sunday John Hutton, the business secretary, announced that the UK government was planning a major expansion of offshore wind electricity generation. The irony that on that day the UK is being battered by high wind was not lost on me. I was also pleased to see that it was not the environment minister that was making the announcement. I was going to write about it on the day, but as I started looking at the details I realised that it looked less a definite plan than an aspiration.

First, to have this policy announced by someone other than the environment minister shows that the UK government is starting to take the issues of climate change seriously and that environmental considerations are permeating all aspects of government policy. There are other aspects of policy that are far from environmental, but this does sound as if in part at least the UK government appears to be taking the issues of climate change seriously. I say appears as while this policy and plan has been announced, the government expects private investment to create this massive engineering project.

What has been announced is that all around the UK coasts around seven hundred new turbines will be constructed, expanding our generating capacity to 38 giga watts. Unlike the positioning of wind turbines on the land these will be in positions where the turbines will fully benefit from the wind.

One of the problems of the current situation is where turbines are placed on the land; they are frequently sited near the infrastructure, to connect to the grid, rather than placed where they will benefit from the wind. All this is purely because of government grants and tax breaks, which subsidise the manufacturing and installation of these turbines, hence the companies positioning them are not basing their positioning decisions upon the need the need to generate the maximum electricity to make the turbines pay as they would if this were a purely commercial decision. Therefore creating opposition to wind power.

The difficulty with pensioning wind turbines off shore is quite a technical problem because of the difficulties of servicing the modules once installed, as well as the difficulties of building them. But one thing our off shore oil industry gave us was the skills to work in this hostile environment. The plans to involve building enough capacity to generate enough to power for every home in the UK, and that will mean about 7000 of these windmills. This will have the potential to either damage or enhance the marine environment.

As with any construction in the sea, there is the potential to damage the delicate marine habitats, be it reefs or sand banks or the spawning grounds of a multitude of species that inhabit our waters. Therefore the exact positioning of each structure needs to be carefully planed. After all destroying one environment to try and save another would leave a bitter taste in the mouth of many. However, the towers that have been installed thus far have produced mini reefs allowing many marine creatures a safe and expanded habitat.

All this could dramatically reduce the carbon impact of electricity generation, while it is true that manufacturing and installation will generate a carbon footprint, at least the positioning of these turbines offshore will ensure the turbines will be placed where they will operate most efficiently. The will also be the need for other forms of generation as turbines only generate power when the wind is blowing. Also these windmills cannot generate power in very high winds.

However, on the whole all this could reduce the climatic impact and carbon footprint for future generations.

While I have reservations about the environmental impact of this on the marine environment, on the whole I am in favour of this plan if it ever becomes a reality.

Further Reading

Bullfinch

The other morning after spending another night under the stars watching the badgers, I decided that I would go to a particular spot where I stood a good chance of seeing the Roe Deer. As I was already cold, a bone numbing cold, I knew that while I waited and watched I would have some shelter from the wind. Unfortunately the Deer failed to make an appearance, I suspect that as I was shivering so much that I was failing to be as quiet as I thought I was. Therefore, I failed again to get the pictures I was hoping for.

Because I was so cold I decided to head for one of the bird hides, where at least I would be out of the wind that was draining the warmth from my body. It worked wonders for me, as although tired, I was delighted to see the flocks of birds, particularly the Bullfinches that were using this feeding station.

My initial pictures were a little blurred as I was still shivering a bit, but as I warmed up I was able to keep the camera still to get some cracking shots.

This stop on my sojourn home was welcome as I was able to regain some of my body heat, and I had some good memories to take home with me. When I finally got to bed, I slept for a full twelve hours straight. While watching any wildlife nocturnally has its problems, one of my problems has been solved by the gift I was given of a pen that has a red LED light in it so that I can see to take notes without disturbing the badgers and foxes.

It’s rather funny but several people have asked me why study an animal like the Badger, don’t we already know about them? Well as I will be showing in a latter posting, no we don’t and it’s only from real observations can we really learn.

Stock Dove

Often mistaken for a feral pigeon this bird is still not that common. This one has probably travelled south from Scotland, although I could not tell if it had an accent. Locally, the Wood pigeon is the dominant species, so finding a Stock Dove is a rare treat.

While wood pigeons are a serious pest of farm crops, stock doves tend to rely on seeds from wild plants. In the past the flocks of wood pigeon were so vast that they could devastate a farmers grain crop, but following the second world war, with numbers seriously reduced, populations of birds like Stock Doves were able to repopulate areas that they been displaced from by the Wood pigeon.

The problem started with the changes in agriculture back in the 1700s. The enclosures of traditional strip farming lands, while improving yields for human consumption, also enabled the wood pigeon to increase in numbers. This helped displace other species like Stock Doves and Turtle Doves. It was not until the Second World War when food supplies were under stress that action was finally taken to control the wood pigeon, were the government paid for the ammunition to shoot them. As will as supplementing the diet, this enabled farmers to finally reduce the population of a serious pest species.

All this had the other benefit of providing the space in the ecology that allowed the numbers of Stock dove and Turtledoves to recover. Also, it created the additional benefit of allowing the collard dove to introduce its self in to Britain in the 1950s.

While the wood pigeon is still a numerous pest, its numbers are nowhere near as high as they were at the turn of the twentieth century. While the actions taken to control them were not designed as conservation measures, they did benefit the environment.

It is only when we see birds like the Stock Dove can we see the effect of measures taken years ago.

A Healthy River

At the weekend while down on the riverbank, I discovered some old signs of Otter activity. I was then told by one of the Friends’ that he had seen two Otters less than a week ago. On the River Derwent we do have otters, but they are elusive and as they are predominantly nocturnal or corpuscular (Active at Dawn and Dusk), they are difficult to find and rarely seen.

Unfortunately I have discovered that some people are jealous of me for having seen the otters, I have even been accused of making it up, but the otters are their and they are thriving, as the Picture of the Otter Scat shows. I have had some strange looks and comments when I have truthfully told them that I have been taking pictures of wildlife poo, but it’s a useful tool for assessing the health of any wildlife population. I would prefer to be taking pictures of the otters themselves, but while I have tried, they are too secretive for me to have had any luck so far.

Another problem is the territory size, Otters need up to twenty miles of river to hunt and breed on, that means they are often on the move from one holt to another. This was something I discovered from observation, and confirmed by reading what is known. One of the greatest problems that the otters face is disturbance by man, not intentional disturbance, and his best friend the dog. Otters can often be around people without them realising it, I have spoken to many fishermen who have seen otters and were surprised they were there. Further the otters were undisturbed by the human presence. However, add a dog and the otters behaviour changes and the will vacate the area and avoid it at the times when dog walkers are about.

Anyway with otters in mind I headed off yesterday to see if I could find where the otters are. With the new digital camera I felt that I stood a good chance of getting something. However, I had made the mistake of picking up all the wrong batteries. I use rechargeable ones, I can see you are all ahead of me here, and I took out the ones that needed charging. I did get to see plenty of fresh signs of otter activity but pictures no.

I did however see water voles again; I saw one at the weekend, as well as plenty of other wildlife, Dippers, Grey Wagtails and a Kingfisher. So while I returned home resembling something the titanic should avoid, I was very pleased to see that the river is looking so healthy.

Enhancing Biodiversity

This weekend the Mouse is going to be busy helping to build not one, but two, Grass Snake Hibernacula in the wood. While climate change may be bringing new species further north, we are at the northern limit of the normal range for Grass Snakes. Unfortunately there has been a decline in the population in recent years due mainly to a loss of habitat. All those overly tidy gardens, spraying of herbicide and modern agricultural practices have all contributed to this. However along the Derwent River, there is an opportunity to reverse this decline by enhancing the habitat for the Grass snake.

Many of the elements are already there including the snakes, it is just a matter of managing the area so that it enables these reptiles to maintain a strong belly hold.

The area that the Grass Snake hotels are to be built in has already had some coppicing work done, this opens the area up to the sunlight and will provide the basking areas the snakes need so that they can raise there temperatures, being cold blooded this is vital to their survival. The fact that the area where the Hibernacula are to be constructed is an area that has to be coppiced regularly is all part of the careful planning and long term viability of the project. Further, because of the need to create piles of composting vegetation so that the snakes can breed and nest, also helps deal with another problem of the highly invasive Himalayan Balsam. This introduced species has created a large colony that has been smothering out all other plants. By utilising these plants as the material to create the compost heaps has the effect of benefiting the Grass Snakes as well as dealing with the invader.

Therefore, while this work will directly benefit the Grass Snakes, it will also help the native plants to re-establish themselves and benefit many other forms of Fauna and Flora too.

It will not be until next year that we will know if there are any snakes using the hotel, but there are snakes in the area, not just grass snakes but the even more endangered adder as well. All this work could benefit tens of species in the long term, enhancing the ecology of the wood and the river Derwent.



There was an article in the local paper today about the project too, and I understand that local TV will be covering it as well. Fortunately the mouse was in hibernation for this.

To Intervene or not to Intervene that is the question…

The anonymous person that made the comment that they feel that in conservation they would like to see a landscape untouched raises an important point. I too would prefer that the land is not touched unnecessarily. However, in the UK there is not a single part of our country that does not show the hand of man upon it. Therefore, ironically to get back to a natural landscape we actually need to intervene and manage the regeneration.

Chopwell Wood is a tiny remnant of ancient woodland; we are in fact one acre short of a thousand acres now, when the original wood was over one million acres. Now there is no way that I can see, that we could even think of expanding the wood beyond its current boundaries. Therefore we need to manage the wood very carefully so we keep what’s good, and improve the rest. We could just rely upon natural regeneration, and allow the sun lovers such as Beach, Birch, fir Pine and Spruce to grow from the latent seed bank. That’s the dormant seeds in the soil already, and if we had even a quarter of the land the old wood used to occupy then that would be the right way to move forward. However, we have only less than one percent of the land occupied by the ancient woodland and if we let nature take its course we risk loosing the gene pool from the ancient trees long before the forest has the chance to regenerate.

In recent history, the last hundred years, the wood has constantly been devastated as wood and timber was harvested to supply the war machine of the two world wars. Going back even further, the wood was destroyed by Charles the first to build his flagship, so warfare has been the greatest environmental devastator of our woods here than anything else.

It is on the steep and inaccessible valley sides that retain the remnants of the ancient woodland. People tell me that the Oaks there are about three hundred years old, but as many of the trees are rooted into the stones of a cliff face, the standard measure of age based upon girth and height are inaccurate and some of these trees could be five or even six hundred years old. And that’s using data from Kew gardens.

Further, because in the North East of England we are loosing our ancient woodland, if we did not intervening positively, we could loose what little we do have. Additionally if we just allowed natural regeneration the small population of endangered or threatened species that we already have in the wood, would be at risk of dying out before we had recreated the habitat for them.

Any landscape management is and has to be a long-term project, even more so when we are dealing with woodlands, as a truly healthy wood requires various stages of decay and re-growth. Therefore, keeping dead wood is vital. Often the greatest difficulty is overcoming ignorance of what constitutes a healthy landscape. Some people want to see the countryside as a nice and tidy place just like a garden. But as anyone who gardens with wildlife in mind will tell you there needs to be some mess; those piles of logs, the nettle patch etc.

Add into that equation the need to ensure that the paths, tracks and bridal ways are safe from falling dead branches, and the balance becomes even more delicate.

While I know that some people don’t like other people using our woodland, it is only people that will protect it in the end. Therefore, while all this regeneration work is being done for the wildlife, ultimately it is for the benefit of all the people who use the woods.

The landscape is a living, breathing place, and just as a rotten apple needs to be removed from a bushel, we need to tend the forest to maintain its health.

Taking the Trees for a Walk

Your friendly neighbourhood Wood Mouse will be appearing in the local paper soon. The reason for this is my obsessive-compulsive behaviour of growing Oak Trees.

It all started when I was first out walking in the wood and I first encountered the ranger. She told me that the forest had a friends group and they carried out practical work in the wood. So I decided I would become an acquaintance of the Friends of Chopwell Wood.

Well you know how these things can escalate; I was foolish enough to offer to plant up the acorns that were gathered during last year’s tree seed collections. If only I had realised that there were nearly six hundred of them. I then had to go out, on the scrounge, to garner enough pots together to put them in. Fortunately the local community helped and soon I had all the pots I needed.

It was not easy, as I had to fight off all manner of birds, mainly the jackdaws but also the odd Jay and several magpies as they were constantly trying to eat their future perches. Eventually in the spring my compulsive, others would say eccentric, behaviour paid off and about two hundred and fifty baby oaks emerged.

It was as a result of doing this that this morning I had to take some of the trees back into the wood so that the Press Officer from the Forestry Commission could take some pictures of me with these trees. Now while I know that some people love performing in front of the camera, I don’t relish it, as I am very much like an oil painting, an old master in fact, cracked and flaking! However I did my duty, I don’t know how the images came out, as I haven’t seen them, but I felt a complete idiot standing there holding pots of trees in contrived poses. Even the Dog walkers were laughing at me, I think even the dogs were too.

Well there was I thinking that this is just for the staff magazine or some obscure place where no one would see them, like my Blog, then I get a call from the biggest paper in the region and it’s the environment editor, and before I know it, I will be in the local paper.

Well at least it will not be saying “Don’t Approach this Mouse” I just wish that the Ranger had not beguiled me when I first met her. It’s all her fault really.

All joking aside there is a serious point to all this, as these trees will be planted so that we can regenerate the ancient wood here in Chopwell. In doing so we can directly aid over one hundred species that are on the UK at risk list of flora and fauna. The reason for the publicity is so that we can encourage other people to become actively involved in collecting seed, helping to plant the trees and do their little bit.

As it was such a great morning it was worth, well almost, the humiliation of having my visage captured on film.

I got my own back by snapping this picture of the photographer!

The Ministry of Silly Walks

Now it should come as no surprise to my reader that this mouse’s life, at times, resembles a sketch out of Monty Python and on Friday I joined The Ministry of Funny Walks, or at least that’s the way it felt.

The Forestry Commission Ecologist had requested help to carry out a Bat Survey in the areas of standing timber that are to be thinned. I didn’t need asking twice, as apart from learning a new skill or new technique, work like this is a vital tool for maintaining the health of the ecosystem that is our local wood.

As I have written of previously, the forest is to start having the plantation conifers thinned out soon and there will be a long term replanting of native broad leaf trees. This will be occurring over a long period, and it will be the next century before this work is near completion. However, to carry this work out so that existing species are protected and not disturbed, this type of surveying has to be done before hand. As the law protects all Bats and here in Chopwell wood we have six species of bat, it is vital that this work is carried out toughly and systematically. In practice that means every tree has to be examined to look for possible roosting sites.

That can be a boring task as it really is like looking for a needle in that proverbial haystack. As on Friday we also had the difficulty of heavy rain, a difficult task was made even more difficult. As the underbrush is at this time of the year covered with Brambles, and to survey properly requires walking up and down making that examination of the trees, we had to wade through the brambles. I nearly considered putting a picture of my legs on here to show just how lacerated I became but as it would put people off, I decided against that idea. Additionally is the problem that because of the heavy undergrowth, its impossible to see the ditches and mounds, so as I am moving forward I was suddenly finding myself chest high in brambles and not waist high.

One of the areas that had to be surveyed, I knew was free of bat roost, as it is one of my regular routes so I do know it well. However, it still needs to be surveyed properly, not only to comply with the law, to ensure that the scientific data gathered is a true and accurate reflection of the roosting sites in the wood. Further, doing something like this can reveal other hidden gems in the wood, I know of a few hidden places where fungi will be emerging soon, as an example.

But after six hours of searching, my legs were aching and while it had stopped raining by the time we finished, I was completely saturated. Even my underwear was soaking and I was ready for a nice hot bath.

Incidentally, on this part of the survey we found seven potential roost sites, and latter the FC Ecologist will return with a ladder and Endoscopes to see if they are occupied. Finding the specific trees or sites will be easy as we used GPS to mark the exact location.

The work will continue in just over a week’s time, and all I can do is hope for better weather on that day. However, as it is vital work, I will be there no matter what the weather throws at us.

Incidentally, should we find that all of these locations are occupied then we can ensure the roosts are not lost by putting up additional roosting places in the form of bat boxes, thus ensuring that our healthy bat population is maintained.

The Curse of the Mobile Telephone

Have you ever had one of those moments when you are thinking of something and it appears that others are thinking the same thing? Yesterday, that’s exactly what happened. While I had been busy in the morning, I wanted to get out into the wood with the specific aim of collecting tree seeds. As our wood is an ancient woodland site, it is going to be replanted over the coming half century with native broadleaf trees, and this will come from seeds collected locally. It is important that they are local as if we planted Hawthorn from seeds gathered from the south, they would flower at a slightly different time and hence not have the same benefit for the environment and wildlife as would the local genetic stock.

So there was I getting myself together to head out when the Forestry Commission Ranger telephoned me, she had passed on my details to the FC Press Officer and he would be giving me a call. This is because from the last acorn gathering, I ended up fostering about Two hundred and Fifty Oak seedlings. There would have been a lot more but I had to defend them from Jackdaws, Crows, Magpies, and even a Jay or two, so the numbers diminished as the birds ate their future perches. The FC press officer wants to do a picture of the trees and me, all rather contrived but I agreed to this. Not because I am looking for some kind of self-aggrandisement, but because I feel that it is vital that we do plant trees and if by loosing some degree of anonymity I help encourage others to help or take the initiative and do the same, it will be worth doing so. It is also why in part, I keep this on line journal, I hate the word Blog, as it may inspire others to do their bit for the environment.

However, when the call came through from the Forestry Commission Press Officer, I was already in the wood and I had just sighted the fox in the picture. It had shown no indication of having seen me, until the cellular phone rang. I snatched a couple of pictures none that sharp. After cursing the contraption I called back and had a chat with this chap.

I hope that I will see this dog fox again, and that I will not have had need to carry the phone with me. But at least I can say that I had another encounter with the wildlife that inhabits my countryside.